Fasting? I don’t want to lose weight. However, from what I’ve been been reading, intermittent fasting, IF, is being used by body-builders, to keep lean tissue and build muscle.
So maybe fasting for seniors could be valuable for aging people? It turns out, it is being researched as a tool for longevity.
Since last year, I’ve been working out with a female bodybuilder and have gained muscles (even though I others told me that would be next to impossible for an aging senior in her mid-70s).
I thought I’d try intermittent fasting to find out out how it feels. I admit that I was hesitant, because I love to eat. But if it’s good for health, I’ll try it.
Intermittent fasting for seniors is a great tool for getting your body to clean out and repair cellular debris. Used in this way, it is ideal, because we need to combat aging by improving cellular health and efficiency. Although some use it for weight loss, the real benefits come from stimulating detoxification and cleansing.
When your body isn’t digesting new food all the time, it goes about the business of autophagy and cellular renewal. That makes sense. It can’t do that if you’re feeding it new food all the time. And fasting isn’t all that hard to do, if you do it in bursts of 12-16 hours (overnight).
Why Intermittent Fasting Is Good for Seniors
Most of us don’t go without food long enough for the body to clean and repair cells, thus we accumulate old and worn-out components. When cells replicate with old materials, they produce DNA errors and faulty mitochondria. Mitochondrial dysfunction means less energy, impaired immune system, disease and cellular death.
In one protocol for IF, you fast for 12-16 hours. Think about it. If you don’t eat after dinner from 7 p.m. until breakfast at 7 a.m. that’s already 12 hours. If you delay breakfast until 11, that’s 16 hours. That’s really not impossible to do for most of us. There are many versions of IF, which allows you to choose one that fits your lifestyle.
I tried it and was surprised how easy it was. The key is to keep busy during those hours, and keep out of the kitchen. I felt great, didn’t feel the hunger until 16 hours later. It was so easy, I did it again the next day.
That was last month, now I’m going to do it again, because quite frankly my gut feels exhausted. I haven’t lost or gained any weight, but I need to clean out my system.
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